ENG – MUTEK_IMG | Cirque Du Soleil Media: André Lauzon

Presented in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Montréal and the Phi Centre, MUTEK_IMG includes a significant focus on Virtual Reality (VR), along with a host of other activities including workshops, panels and presentations spanning issues such as mapping, hacking, interactive art, digital art in urban space, and digital cultural policy.

Inside the Box of Kurios is a brand new VR experience from Felix & Paul Studios which gives you a brilliant view of a Cirque du Soleilperformance that’s been specially tailored for virtual reality.

During MUTEK_IMG, the Art-Facto team had the chance to put some questions to André Lauzon, producer at Cirque du Soleil Média and head of their Digital Studio.

Inside The Box Of Kurios – Mass

Esteban Lara : How has Cirque du Soleil Media evolved over the years? What challenges or obstacles have you found working with Virtual Reality (VR)?

André Lauzon: CDSM is a subsidiary of Cirque du Soleil. Our role is to produce content for the screens that will extend the Cirque brand. For instance, recently we announced a partnership with Saban Brands to produce a new pre-school animated TV series called ‘Luna Petunia’. It’s the story of a young girl that makes the impossible possible. Netflix Originals picked up the series and it will be available next year. We are also involved in new media and VR is absolutely on our list.

AL: These guys are the best and greatest! On ‘Inside the Box of Kurios’, we formed a true partnership where our director, Michel Laprise, worked closely and extensively with Felix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphael. Not only do they truly master the technology, their creative approach of the medium is pertinent and very compatible with our own approach.

Felix & Paul Studios

EL: Can you talk to us a bit about ‘Inside The Box of Kurios’ experience?

AL: From the start, we knew we wanted to have a ‘made for VR’ experience and not just a 360 capture of a show. We also knew that this was the hardest path. We basically transformed the show made for a BigTop audience of 2700 people to a show made for one person: the VR viewer. The beginning of the experience happens in a giant wood box. An essential beginning to immerse the viewer for this kind of journey. At the writing level, lots of time was spent in making sure the action modulates properly to maintain interest. Special care was taken to envelop the viewer with a 360-degree play. Lighting was heavily adjusted to account for the complete repositioning of the artists and for the technical requirement of the VR camera. The main part of the experience, an 8 and a half minute sequence, had to be in the can in only three takes. It’s definitely the quality of the crew and the fabulously high level of the artists that made it possible.

Inside The Box Of Kurios Scene

EL: Could you share some of Cirque Du Soleil Media’s plans for the next few months? Or what are you working on at the moment?

AL: We are working on bringing more Cirque du Soleil content in VR as well as exploring storytelling on this new exciting medium.

EL: According to you, what makes MUTEK_IMG such a unique event?

AL: The eclectic mix of people with different backgrounds and experiences makes MUTEK IMG a unique conference.

Felix & Paul Studios partnering with Oculus

EL: In 5 or 10 years, how do you see VR?

AL:In 2010, when Apple release the first iPad, who would have thought that the tablet would gain such a place in our lives. The path to mass adoption for VR is vastly different yet we can easily foresee that the entertainment and education landscape will be deeply transformed. We are witnessing the birth of a truly new media, that’s a rare and fascinating event.

Inside The Box Of Kurios Scene

EL: Is VR going to bring people closer together or push them further apart?

AL: The experiences you can have in VR are very varied and can go in all kind of directions. I believe that if you personally choose VR to be close to people, this medium will be an impressive platform for social interactions.

EL: In your opinion, how soon is VR going to be in the average North American home?

AL: Content will determine how soon VR will be in North American homes, not hardware. I remember buying my first CD-ROM player so I could play Myst… How long will it take for content developers to come up with compelling stories, games and apps you can’t help but watch and interact with?